Recce
This morning Alex, Monty and I did a recce into one of our regular territories. Heading up the loch we were first entertained by 2 juvenile white tailed eagles involved in a long and protracted hunt of a gull. The birds were working as a tag team relentlessly turning inside the gull and driving it lower and lower. It hit the water several times but managed to take off before the second bird could catch it. Of course this is exhausting for the gull and how they eventually manage to overwhelm the gull. We didn’t see the outcome as the chase headed west and we were going east. Further up the loch a familiar shape appeared heading our way. The Killi male paid us a couple of visits before we departed. Down near Eorsa another adult appeared outside the window but we failed to positively ID it as it grabbed a fish. A great way to start our 2025 season. LJ ran perfectly and the new prop with its slightly lower pitch worked better than expected.
Take off
We took Monty for a walk this morning and decided to go around the airfield via the river. Just as we arrived a plane was getting ready for take off so I took a wee video. Another lovely morning after a cold night which seems to be the trend during this period of high pressure. Lots of birdsong in the trees and bushes and lots of geese, many in pairs as they get ready for breeding. The river level was quite low as we have had a relatively dry spell of weather lately. Tge weather is looking quite settled too which will help us to get LJ home soon.
Common dolphins
I think I need some more of this. It seems ages since I enjoyed watching these amazing animals frolicking on the pressure wave of Lady Jayne.. sometimes the first time you know dolphins are in the area is when you see them charging across the waves just to enjoy the thrill of the ride on the bow. Usually folk outside get the best views and enjoy the sea air and spray. The bonus for the helmsman is that we can often hear them. The toilet has a column of water which carries the sound inside the hull and the toilet bowl works like an amplifier. The squeaks, clicks and whistles are amazing to listen to. The number of dolphins differs every year. When we first started we would see bottle nose dolphins far more than common dolphins. Nowadays it’s the slightly smaller common dolphins which we see more and they seem to be staying in the area later in the year. There is no doubt the seas around us are changing whether it’s the ocean getting warmer or the increase in sprat and herring numbers I’m not sure. Hopefully we will enjoy more views like this soon.
Oban bay
Alex had to go to Oban today and while he was waiting for the ferry home spotted this otter casually fishing just off the pier. It’s amazing where these animals turn up so it is always worth keeping an eye out. We looked after Monty and took him for a walk. It was absolutely freezing out so we wrapped up well. That was the sum total of my activity today as this cold has come back with a vengeance. Currently treating it with honey and lemon and paracetamol as most proprietary cough and cold remedies are loaded with potassium so not good for me.
I can’t think of many advantages of getting up at dark o clock to head for Glasgow and a dialysis session but this view is one of them. A bitterly cold day here, frost cars and roads and a frozen boat. Alex headed over to the yard to winterise the engine in LJ and do a few jobs only to find the hoses in the yard frozen and the diesel in the injector pipes waxing so much that the engine would start but not run. An application of heat by a couple of fan heaters soon sorted everything out and once warmed she ran fine and Alex could fill,everything with antifreeze. I got the 2000 ferry home to Mull and it was so cold in Oban the sea was steaming, something I’ve only seen a few times. Looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow.
Nice to see some sunshine today for a change as we trundled around out west. I'm sure plenty of folk will have seen this lump of rock with the other tour companies but it's not often we get round to harp rock ourselves, its very impressive from the water. It always seems eerily quiet out there now that the birds are away to sea for winter. A pretty sizeable swell running at times as well.
And that's a wrap... I'll do a proper end of season report soon but for now here's a video of this mornings lovely autumnal conditions. Thanks all for a great season.
Alex
Best played with sound! Over the last week we have seen plenty of migrations with large skeins of geese overhead and plenty of whooper swans passing through as well. One bird that I always look forward to seeing again is the Great Northern diver. A heavy and persistent bank of fog shrouded the island today but luckily there was a hole at the top of the loch which stayed fairly clear for most of the day. The low cloud made for a nice setting for the diving eagles and the warning calls of large groups of divers really helped set the atmosphere.
A few clips from today's trips!
Cars
An expensive traffic jam in Salen this morning as rally cars line up for the start of leg 2 of Mull Rally 2024. It’s a showery Autumn day here so the roads will be slippy especially on the newly layed tarmac. Stay safe guys and have a good run. Scott and Angus are still in the rally but I don’t know any positions.
Well that rounds out what has been a fantastic week of weather and wildlife. Plenty of eagle action today and some absolutely gorgeous autumnal light for the photographers on board. Thank you again to Andy and Sarah for the biscuits this morning and to all of our passengers for joining us this week. Dad and Mum are still away in Glasgow for the time being so there will be no one manning the landlines for a little while longer. You can book via the website or email [email protected] with any enquiries in the meantime.
Cheers Alex.
A dolphin day! Our last day with this high pressure and we made the most of the nice weather with a couple of great trips out. Eagles and dolphins on both morning and afternoon made for some happy guests. This afternoon we also had a peregrine use the boat as cover as it stalked some prey, something I've only seen a handful of times over the years but is always amazing to see
